Automatic rod operating mechanism



Oct. 25, 1932. RlCHTER 1,884,244

AUTOMATIC ROD OPERATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 3. 1930Ezra-.1-

5.1%..11- 'fIE-.=1U-

m f m INVENTOR: jfla/x liz'ciziez; BY fi ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 25, 1932. R A 1,884,244

AUTOMATIC ROD OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 3, 1950' s Sheets-Sheet 2IN KEN TOR. jwxgwkfgz 3 ATTORNEYS.

. Oct. 25, 1932. R|HTER 1,884,244

AUTOMATIC ROD OPERATING MECHANISM INV ENTOR:

mgzchiezg A TJTORNEYS.

Oct. 25, 1932. R ER 1,884,244

AUTOMATIC ROD OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 3, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 A5% 9 .5} J2? 50 w INV.ENTOR:

Warez 1) BY W ATTORNE S.

Oct, 25, 1932. M T 1,884,244

AUTOMATIC ROD OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 5. 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTOR: mwjjiakier, BY

A TTORNEYS.

- Patented Get. '25, 1932 UNITED STATES.

, PATENT OFFICE MAX nronrnn, or wns'r READI G, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNon'ro TE TILE meme 4 WORKS, or WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION orPENNSYLVANIA AUTOMATIC ROD OPERATING MECHANISM It is recognized thatattempts have heretofore been made toselectively operate certain guiderods in successive reciprocations, but such attempts have been limitedto special rods and for specific purposes. The present improvementscontemplate a freely selectable pattern-controlled operation of any ofthe several rods providing for desirable single operation or cooperativeoperation of several as predetermined by the pattern control mechanismtherefor.

The invention and its manner of application to and cooperation with afull fashioned knitting machine are fully described in the followingspecification in connection with the drawings accompanying the same andforming part thereof, and the novel features are clearly set forth inthe appended claims.

Referring to the drawings which show only such portions of a well knownfull-fashioned knitting machine structure as are 7 suflicient to fullydisclose the application thereto of one embodiment of this invention andits manner of operation Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a centralportion of a usual knitting machine, unessential portions being brokenaway or omitted, and showing a preferred embodimerit of the patterncontrol mechanism and one of the-selectively operative carrier roddriving connections of this present invention.

Fig. 2 is mainly an enlarged vertical cross sectional view of themachine, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and more especially show- .ingthe present mechanism for automatically selectively engaging determinedthread guide carrier rods.

Fig. 3 is a partial rear sectional elevation taken substantially on theline 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a partial sectional plan view takensubstantially ,on the line 44 of Flg. 2.

Application filed June s, 1930. Serial No. 459,098.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail sectional plan views takenrespectively on the.lines 5-5 and 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail elevation looking in the direction ofline 7 7 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view of one of the thread carrierrod engaging devices, the view being taken substantially on the line 8-8of Fig. 3. I.

Fig. 9 is a detail view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary cross sectional detail view of the idle courseoperating mechamsm.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of other parts of the idlecourse mecha-- nism, the cross section being taken at a differentlongitudinal portion of the machine. I

The knitting machine indicated in the drawings is of the usualmulti-section type, and its general construction and operation are wellunderstood and need no particular description other than will appear inconnection with that setting forth the present improvements, whichlatter involve little material change in the known machine functions,but

' add mechanism particularly directed to'the automatic patterncontrolled selective operation of the several. thread guide rodsemphiyed, as will now be fully described.

n full-fashioned knitting machines, as well known, the feeding of thethreads is effected by a series of guide rods each carrying a pluralityof thread guide fingers, one for each needle section, and motion beingimparted to selected rodsfrom a common friction box rod operated by theusual coulier motion mechanism. The selection of a desired rod hascommonlybeen determined by manual connection of such rod to one of theseries of friction boxes on said friction box rod, effected prior tooperation or while the knitting machine is at rest for this particularpurpose. The present improvements are adapted to automatically performsuch here:

tofore manual engagements of the several rods to their reciprocativemeans.

To provide means for automatically selecting determined carrier rods foroperating action, the construction shown in the drawa series of frictionclutch devices A, one being preferably provided for each of the eightcarrier rods 5 indicated, so that any selected rod may be automaticallyoperated when desired.

The carrier rods 5, as heretofore, are lon- .gitudinally movably mountedin frame carried brackets 6, and each is shown as preferably providedwith a section of rack teeth 7 for reciprocatively traversing the-same.-

The carrier operating rod 8, reciprocatively traversed as heretofore bythe usual coul1er motion mechanism through connection to slur cock bar8a, is also shown preferably provided with rack teeth 9. And each clutchdevice A is shown provided with a gear wheel in constant mesh with therack teeth 9 of rod 8, and a gear wheel 11 in constant mesh with therack teeth 7 of its respective carrier rod 5. The gear wheels 10 and 11as indicated are connected by suitable frictional clutch mechanism, andit will be readily seen that by determined operation of such clutchmeans as hereinafter described,selective operation of any carrier rod 5is simply provided for. I

As more clearly. shown in Fig. 8, each clutch device A comprises ahousing 15, which, contrary to the heretofore employed friction boxes,does not shift its position, and is fixedly supported on a rigid framerod 16 so as to overhang the series of carrier rods 5 and rest on abracket 6 as indicated and each housing 15, as shown, is formed withsuitable bearings for a shaft 17 for its respective gears 10 and 11,gear 10 being preferably keyed to said shaft and gear 11freely-rotatable there-' on in the path of its particular guide rod 5,and properly spacedly retained in such position by a collar 18 fixed toshaft 17. The particular frictional clutch mechanism indicated in thedrawings as connecting gears 10 and 11, comprises a flanged brake drum19 carrying adjustably tensioned spring-backed clutch-plates 20 infrictional engagement with gear 11, said drum and clutch-plates beingfreely rotatable on shaft 17 except as engaged by an expanding brakering 21, and said brake ring. as shown, lies within drum 19 and iscarried by 'a collar 22 keyed to shaft 17 adjacent gear 10, aprojectable wedge block 23 mounted in said collar being adapted to entera split in brake ring 21 to expand the latter and lock said drum 19 tocollar 22 and thus jointly rotate them, and consequently jointly rotategears 10 and 11, except when rod 5 contacts with a fixed stop to limitits traverse movement, when gear 11 will be held against rotation andthe clutch plates 20 will idly slip.

To determinedly project wedgeblock 23,

shaft 17 is shown as having a central aperture in one end thereof toreceive an axially shiftable pin 24, the inner end thereof having abevel-connected reduction 25, and said shaft 17 having a recess throughwhich wedge block 23 extends, the latter being projected when riding onthe larger diameter portion of pin .24 and being withdrawn fromprojection to and a hand lever for manual-engagement and disengagementof any particular rod 5 when desired. A spring catch 31 may be providedto hold pin 24 in desired position.

Each clutch device A as indicated is pro-' vided with its own particularlever 29, and each of said levers is operated by its particular one of aseries of rods 35 extending in spaced parallel relation to carrier rods5 and mounted in suitable carrying brackets 36, and said rods 35 areselectively moved by suitable pattern controlled mechanism hereinafterfully described, whereby automatic selection of any carrier rod isdeterminedly provided for. a

The particular pattern control mechanism for determinedly movingselected ones of rods '35 in either direction to connect or disconnectits respective clutch mechanism as above set forth, comprises a seriesof levers 40, each having its forked. end engaging between 001- armsbeing bent to converge and each respec- 1 tively pivotally connected toone of a series of cross levers 47 all intermediately pivotal ly carriedon a common axle .48 suitably mounted in bearing bracket 44.

relation on opposite sidestherefrom are two axles 49 and 50, eachintermediately pivotally carrying a series of levers 51 and 52,respectively, with the inner ends of said levers overlapping in a medialline below axle 48, the

drawings showing eight levers 51 and eight 1 levers 52. The oppositelyextending end of each lever 51 is shown connected by its separate link53. to an end ofits respective one of the seriesof levers 47, and theother ends of levers 52 are respectively separately connected by similarlinks 54 to said levers 47 on the side of the latter adjacent arms 46. yappropriate action exerted on any one of the overlapping inner ends oflevers 51 and 52 motion may be imparted to a deter- Located be 1 lowsaid axle 48, andlying in parallel spaced 1 mined lever 47, lever 51swinging it to move its arms 46 downward, and lever 52 to move its arm46 upward. Such upward and-downward movement of arms 46 it will be seenreversely move the respective shaft 43 to which said arm is connected soas to turn the latter and consequently swing its opposite end lever inone or other direction, such action moving its determined rod 35 in oneor other direction, which movement as. above set forth engages ordisengages the clutches of the respective devices A.

To selectively operate any one or more of said overlying inner ends oflevers 51 and 52, the drawings show a row of push bars 55 slidablymounted in a frame56 so as to lie in a vertical plane directly beneathsaid inner ends, the drawings indicating seventeen of said bars 55,sixteen acting individually on the sixteen inner ends of levers 51 and52, and the seventeenth controlling a movement hereinafter set forththrough a special bell crank 57 (Figs. 2 and 6) mounted on axle 49, andhaving oneend 58 thereof, similar in shape to the inner ends of levers51, ex-

tending beneath said seventeenth push bar 59.

To automatically selectively actuate any i of the push bars 55 and 59,the drawings show a pattern chain-60 made up of pivotally connectedsections of a width sufiicient to embrace the row of seventeen bars 55,the selective movement of the latter being effected by properly placedpins 61 spacedly fixed to determined chain sections. This chain iscarried by a drum 62 and its necessarily extended length is carried overidler drums orrollers 63, 64, 65, 66 and 67 adjustably mounted insuitable supporting arms of a chain carrier bracket 68'fixed to theknitting machine frame.

Drum 62 is shown carried by a shaft 70 mounted in the depending ends ofa pair of links 71, 71, the other ends of which are pivones ofpush bars55 to move the latter into action against their respective lever ends 51M52, which latter, as above set forth reversely shift rods 35 and thesein turn selectively control the engagement and disengagement of theclutches of the respective devices A to operate a selected rod 5.

To determinedly rotate pattern chain 60 step by step, a ratchet gear 80is shown secured to drum 62 and a pawl 81 is pivotal- 1y hungintermediately from a link 82, which link has one end pivotallyconnected at 83 to a fixed arm 84 and its other end pivotally connectedat 85 to One of said links 71. The raising and lowering movement of link71 will act at eachreciprocation to rack gear 80 and thus bring a newchain section into operation against push bars 55 at each upwardmovement of drum 62. Pawl 81 is shown provided with an angular arm 86adapted to engage with a suitably placed chain pin 61, whereby said pawlat a determined time is thrown out of engagement with gear 80 to stopthe aforesaid rotation of the pattern, chain. A hand lever 87 is alsoshown, car:

rying a spring pressed pawl 88 whereby gear 80 may be racked whendesired to move pin 61 from beneath arm 86 to release the pawl 81 forresumed action on gear 80; said hand lever carried pawl 88 as shown alsoacting as a reverse movement locking pawl for ratchet gear .80. Patternchain pin 61 may be set to act at the end of a cycle of movement of saidchain, or several maybe employed to interrupt the chain action for longcontinued repetition of a fixed selected rod operation or suchchainhalting may be desirablyfemploye d for other special purposes.

of halting the machine operation for certain adjustments or forresetting of certain nonautomatic controls.

At times it is desired to make so-called idle courses as heretofore andwell understood to return the slur-cock bar 8a to the opposite side ofthe machine after completion 'of certain courses, and provision is madeforautomatically effecting of such idle courses as shown in the drawingsby employing a suitably set chain pin 61 to determinedly act on 1 pushbar 59 which actuates the end 58 of hell crank 57 to swing the latter.Bell crank 57 as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 4, 10 and 11 is connected bya rod 90 to one end of an intermediately pivoted lever 91 the oppositeend of which is formed with a cam foot 92 adapted to engage the'angularextension of a spring tensioned catch lever 93 and turn the latter onits pivot 94. Lever 93 has a projection (not shown) acting as a catch tonormally look a lever arm 95 in depressed position against action of itsspring 96 normally tending to swing said lever in a reverse d1- recti11, said lever 95 having an extension beyon said catch lever engagementadapted to bear against a fixed projection on axially shiftable, rod-97.The opposite end of lever 95, as indicated when released by catch le-.

99 which different cam path will prevent needle beard-closing movementof presser lever 98. Such movement, as well known, prevents knockingover of the fabric which remains on the needles and furnishes an. idlecourse movement of a carrier rod at certain times necessary andunderstood in the art.

The mechanism above fully set forth provides for the automaticpattern-controlled selective operation of any desired thread carrier rod5; and it will be understood that the feeding traverseofthe several rodsthus reciprocatively traversed will be determined, as heretofore, byusual end and intermediate stops limiting their movements to desiredneedles only, the gear 11 in the particular clutch device A of suchheldrod being held against rotation and the clutch plates 20 idly slipping.

From the foregoing description it is be lieved the nature of the presentimprovements and their manner of operation will be readily understood,and while one form of embodiment has been shown and set forth in detail,other forms and modifications may be readily devised within "the spiritof the invention as defined in the following claims.

That I claim is:

1. In combination with a straight knitting machine, automaticthread-traversing mechanical control mechanism comprisinga plurality ofmovable thread-carrier rods having a common operative, mechanism,separate rotary clutch devices connecting each rod to said commonoperative mechanism, and pattern mechanism" controlling the automaticselective operation of said clutch devices.

2. In combination with a straight knitting machine, automaticthread-traversing mechanicalcontrolmechanism comprising a plurality ofmovable thread-carrier rods having a common operative mechanism,separate fixedly positioned operative mechanisms connecting each rod tosaid common operative mechanism, and pattern mechanism controlling theautomatic selective operations of determined rod operative mechanisms.

3. In combination with a straight knitting machine, automaticthread-traversing mechanical controlmechanism comprising a plurality ofmovable thread-carrier rods having a common operative mechanism,separate fixedly positioned frictional clutch devices connecting eachrod to said common operative mechanism, and pattern mechanismcontrolling the automatic selective operation of determined clutchdevices,

4:. In combination with a straight knitting .machine, automaticthread-traversing mech anicalcontrol mechanism comprising a plurality ofmovable thread-carrier rods, a common operative bar forthe latter havinga plurality of engaging rod operative driving connections, separatefixedly positioned driving connections associated with each carrier chanical control mechanism comprising a plurality of movablethread-carrier rods, a common operative bar for the latter, separatefixed driving connections for the several carrier rods each having adriving connection engaging said common operative bar, frictional clutchdevices operatively engaging each fixed driving connection and itsrespective bar engaging driving connection, a plurality of operativecontrol rods for said frictional clutch devices each controlling itsrespective clutch, means for operating the sev-- eral rods closelyassociated at a fixed position, and a movable pattern chain forselectively actuating the means for operating determined rods.

6. In combination with a straight knitting machine having a plurality ofmovable thread-carrier rods and a common operative mechanism thereforincluding a reciprocated bar, frictional clutch devices operativelyconnecting each rod to said bar, individual control rods for saidclutches, and pattern control operative mechanism for said control rodscomprising a series of operative rods therefor, crank arms for reverselymoving said rods, and a pattern chain for selectively moving said crankarms.

7. In combination with a straight knitting machine having a plurality ofmovable thread-carrier rods and a common operative mechanism thereforincluding a reciprocated bar, frictional clutch devices operativelyconnecting each rod to said bar, individual control rods for saidclutches, and pattern control operative mechanism for said control rodscomprising a series of operative rods therefor, crank arms for reverselymoving said rods, a series of 'levers for moving said crank arms,'andpattern-actuated bell crank for determinedly rocking said levers.

8. In combination with a straight knitting machine having a plurality ofmovable thread-carrier rods and a common operative mechanism thereforincluding a reciprocated bar, frictional clutchdevices operativelyconnecting each rod to said bar, individual control rods for saidclutches, and pattern vcontrol operative mechanism for said control rodscomprising a series of operative rods therefor, crank arms for reverselymoving said rods, a series of intermediately pivoted levers for movingsaid crank arms, a pair of hell cranks pivotally engaging said levers,and a pattern chain having pins mov able into operative engagement withsaid bell cranks.

9. combination with a straight knitting machine, automaticthread-traversing I mechanical control mechanism comprising a pluralityof movable thread-carrier rods 5 having a common operative mechanism'sep- 'arate fixedly positioned frictional clutch devices connectingeach rod to said common operative mechanisms, pattern mechanismscontrollin the automatic selective operation 10f determined clutchdevices, and a hand lever for each frictional clutch device. 7

10. In combination with a straight knitting machine, automatic threadtraversing mechanical control mechanism comprising a plurality ofmovable thread-carrier rods,

means for operating the same in feeding traverse movements, presseroperative means for preventin removal of a course of loops from the neees, means for jointly operat ing said rod and presser operative means tomove said rod to the opposite side of the machine in an idle course, andpattern mechanism automatically selectively controlling the operativemeans of determined carrier rods, and determined operation of saidpresser operative means conjointly duringa "selected rod traversemovement. Y

11. In a flat knitting machine embodying a pattern control mechanism andone or more thread carrier rods; a reciprocative rod actuator, a roddriving gear associated with each rod and in constant en agementtherewith, a frictional clutch mec anism for each gear operative toengage and disengage the latter with said rod actuator, and patternmechanism operativeto selectively actuate said frictionalclutchmechanisms.

12. In a flat knitting machine embodying a pattern control mechanism andone or 40 more thread carrier rods; a common actuator for said rodshaving a rack gear and a, plurality of ears meshing therewith, a rackgear for eac rod having a gear meshing therewith, a separate clutchmechanism for each rod adapted to engage and disengage it'srod gear withits respective one of the gears meshing with said common actuator rackgear, and pattern mechanism 0 rative to selectively actuate a determinedutchmechanism- 5 i I i In testimony whereof I aflix m I si ture. mx m onr fin.

